Recently I read the following statement: "It’s easier to change the world if you can see someone who has already started, who is just like you".
This statement made me think about my own life, and I wondered if it was really true. Soon I realized no matter what I started, I always looked for role models.
For example, when I decided to start doing martial arts, it was the journey of Monica McCabe Cardoza that made the difference. She’s a Karate blackbelt from New Jersey and she wrote the Book “A Woman’s Guide to Martial Arts”. Today I’m a proud wearer of a Taekwondo blackbelt myself.
Many other times, also in my professional life, a role model gave me enough confidence to tackle something new, no matter how enormous the task seemed.
Have you ever done a Google image search for “CEO”?
Role models are important for everyone, especially if you want to aim high. Like, for example, becoming a CEO. Look at the role models found by doing a Google Image Search on “CEO”! Notice anything?
The first woman CEO in a Google Images Search appears after scrolling through five dozen male CEOs.
Now think about this for a while.
If a woman can’t look up and see women who have been successful in a certain field, we have less chance of being successful ourselves. Or, in the worst-case scenario, we don’t even try. In a world where men named Jeffrey in CEO positions outnumber the total number of female CEOs, we need all the visible role models we can get.
Because: "It’s easier to change the world if you can see someone who has already started, who is just like you".
Let's make female role models more visible
I’m in charge of community building and social media in our startup Witty Works. So I decided to ask our community about female CEOs, specifically in tech companies, where female role models are even rarer. And guess what? All our social media accounts started brimming with activity and interactions! I had a hard time keeping up while giving the needed attention to everyone's suggestions.
Female role models do exist, even in male-dominated fields. We just need to make them more visible. And you do need to want to see them. That’s what I’d like to do by sharing with you this valuable list of female tech CEOs created by our wonderful community.
A pool of great and inspiring role models to follow on social media!
(Random order)
Stephanie Lüpold, CEO of
Amazee Labs
- A team of leading Drupal, React and Gatsby
developers with a passion for engaging web
design
LinkedIn
Ilona Baier, CEO of
Ginetta
- Creating websites and apps that click with
users
LinkedIn
Twitter
Désirée Mettraux, CEO of
OCC Assekuradeur
- Versicherungslösungen, die mit genauso viel
Liebe gemacht sind wie Ihr Oldtimer, Youngtimer
oder Premiumfahrzeug
LinkedIn
Twitter
Kate Morris, founder of
Adore Beauty
- Australia’s longest-running online beauty
store, and an official stockist of over 200
leading global beauty brands
LinkedIn
Twitter
Colleen Costello, CEO of
Vyv
- Recently named a “World Changing Idea” as this
breakthrough technology creates inhospitable
environments for bacteria, mold, fungi and yeast
to grow and survive.
LinkedIn
Twitter
Yana Mohanty, creator of
Geometiles
- A versatile set of interlocking tiles,
multi-award winning Geometiles® supports math
exploration for students, parents, teachers and
the curious
LinkedIn
Twitter
Carolin Silbernagl, former
Co-founder and Member of the Board betterplace /
gut.org now free for new adventures in public interest
tech
LinkedIn
Twitter
Evelyn Thar, CEO of
Amazee Metrics
- Taking care of your digital performance
LinkedIn
Twitter
Nora Schimang, CEO of
Code Door
- Empowering your non-profit with access to
in-demand coding skill training and elevating
your tutors to raise the success-level of your
students
LinkedIn
Twitter
Tracy Lee, CEO of
This Dot Media
- Creating an inclusive web through free
developer resources
LinkedIn
Twitter
Katerina Trajchevska, CEO of
Adeva
- Specializing in building and scaling
engineering teams with blazing-fast
efficiency
LinkedIn
Twitter
Catharina Bøhler, CEO of
Sarepta Studio
- An independent video game development studio
creating atmospheric and thought-provoking
games
LinkedIn
Twitter
Nikema Prophet, founder and
CEO of
PopSchools
- We connect people to community, resources, and
education to begin and advance their tech
careers
Twitter
LinkedIn
Aisha Bowe, CEO of
STEMboard
- Delivers support to federal clients to solve
complex problems, enable integration of
technology and mission at key points and provide
actionable intelligence
LinkedIn
Twitter
Penny Schiffer, CEO of
Raized.ai
- Using AI to make venture capital more
intelligent, data-driven and automated – helping
VCs focus on what matters most
LinkedIn
Twitter
Vidisha Kamini, co-founder of
ACadru
- Free Learning Modules: Ideas & Projects
for New Age Jobs
LinkedIn
Twitter
Alex Schladebeck, CEO of
BREDEX GmbH
- Develops software and IT solutions for
companies from a wide variety of industries
LinkedIn
Twitter
Isa Watson, CEO of
Squad
- A VC-backed, software company that created and
is currently scaling a platform that helps
people build their “in real life” communities
LinkedIn
Twitter
Vera Gehlen-Baum, CEO of
QualityMinds GmbH
- Qualitätssicherung in agiler
Software-Entwicklung
LinkedIn
Twitter
Jiawei Li, CEO of
Tuli Health
- Providing accessible medical resource trusted
by all
LinkedIn
Twitter
Camilla Young,CEO of
Vualto
- Design, develop and deploy streaming solutions
to make your online video happen
LinkedIn
Twitter
DeShuna Spencer, CEO of
kweliTV
- Watch undiscovered, award-winning indie films
celebrating global black culture from anywhere
in the world
LinkedIn
Twitter
Loulia Kassem, CEO of
Rea
- Develops a medical device to allow home
monitoring of women at risk a of preterm
birth
LinkedIn
Twitter
Nicky Goulimis, co-founder and
COO of
Nova Credit
- The premier cross-border credit reporting
agency
LinkedIn
Twitter
Nadine Klokke, CEO of
Knab
- Online bank
LinkedIn
Twitter
Karen Baker, CEO of
ShipperHQ
- Drive sales at checkout with flexible shipping
rates and delivery methods tailored to the way
you do business
LinkedIn
Twitter
Judith Bellaiche, CEO of
Swico
- A national, not-for-profit system for taking
back discarded electronic and electrical
equipment
LinkedIn
Twitter
Yoko Spirig, CEO of
Ledgy
- Helps startups handle their employee
shareholdings, cap table and investor relations
professionally and accurately from the start
LinkedIn
Twitter
Tanja Hermann, CEO of
WebStages
- Your digital influencer-marketing
specialists
LinkedIn
Twitter
Whitney Wolfe, CEO of
Bumble
- One app. Three modes: dating, friend-finding,
and networking
LinkedIn
Sandra Tobler, CEO of
Futurae Technologies
- Enabling trust and invisible security for your
users on all devices and applications
LinkedIn
Twitter
Lea von Bidder, CEO of
Ava
- Clinically proven to identify both the opening
and closing of the fertile window, letting you
know your five best days to try for a baby
LinkedIn
Twitter
Yvonne Bettkober, General
Manager Switzerland at
Amazon Web Services
LinkedIn
Bettina Hirsig, leader of
Powercoders
- Coding Academy for Refugees
LinkedIn
Judith Häberli, CEO
Urban Connect AG - Your corporate shared mobility
platform
LinkedIn
Arijana Walcott, CEO
Switzerland of
DART Labs - Incubator for teams that build
technologies for a more human future
LinkedIn
Twitter
Marianne Janik, CEO of
Microsoft Schweiz
LinkedIn
Twitter
Gabriela Keller, CEO of
Ergon Informatik
- Smart people - smart software
LinkedIn
Sasha A. Schriber, CEO of
NANOS
- Online advertising for all, backed by machine
learning technology
LinkedIn
Twitter
Tania Boler, CEO of
Elvie
- The world's first silent wearable breast
pump
LinkedIn
Myriam Reinle, CEO of
Evolute AG
- Die neue Art der Vermögensverwaltung
LinkedIn
Twitter
Regina Gwynn, CEO of
tressenoire
- Nail your beauty routine the first time, every
time with your virtual beauty coach
LinkedIn
Ana Campos, CEO of
Trivadis AG - Together for a smarter life
LinkedIn
Twitter
Sibylle Stromeyer, CEO of
BeCompany
- We grow software
LinkedIn
Twitter
Leila Summa, CEO of
Play To Change
- Shortcut to innovation
LinkedIn
Twitter
Nelly O Gedeon, CEO of
Wayaj
- The first ecotravel app designed to explore
and book sustainable and socially responsible
destinations around the world
LinkedIn
Luiza Dobre, CEO of
Komed Health AG
- A simple, secure and scalable clinical
communication platform
LinkedIn
Twitter
Cindy Spelt, CEO of Zoom in
& Zoom out - Solutions and insights about
tomorrow's consumer behaviour
LinkedIn
Nadja Schmid, CEO of
Soultank
- Usability, User Experience und Human Centred
Design
LinkedIn
Twitter
Tanja Lau, CEO and founder of
Product Academy
- Empowering Product People with workshops,
coaching and team events for product managers
and product teams
LinkedIn
Twitter
Elena Dumas Schott, CEO of
Syscon Technologies
- Virtual teams / Software Development /
Business Intelligence / Network
Infrastructure
LinkedIn
Katharine Wolf, CEO of
Odetta
- An on-demand service platform that allows you
to outsource your digital tasks to top talent
around the world in under 2 mins
LinkedIn
Twitter
Alice Default (Forbes 30 under
30), CEO of
Double
- Connects busy executives with experienced
human assistants and great tech to save hours
every day
LinkedIn
Twitter
Nicole Schaufler, Executive
Partner at
CASTANA Solutions GmbH
- Ansprechpartner für zukunftsfitte und digitale
Business Prozesse
LinkedIn
Twitter
I’ll interview some of them in later blog posts. Let me know in a comment who you’d like to get to know better or if you’d like me to add any other role model to this list!
If you are looking for a digital writing assistant for inclusive language, try out Witty for free. Witty detects non-inclusive language provides ongoing training on unconscious bias and operationalizes inclusion.
Companies that would like to become more diverse and inclusive, get in touch with us! We happily support you to become more attractive for women and other minorities.
